Mozambique military admit running over a protesting woman amid foreign Embassies condemnation

MAPUTO, Mozambique

The Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) said on Wednesday that their armoured military vehicle had run over a young woman protesting in the Mozambican capital amid foreign embassies condemnation.

“This vehicle was on a mission to protect essential economic assets, clean and unblock roads, as part of the post-election demonstrations and was part of a duly signposted military column,” reads a press release from Mozambique’s Ministry of Defence to which our reporter had access.

The document also states that the victim was ‘promptly assisted’ at Maputo Central Hospital, ensuring that he is receiving ‘adequate’ hospital treatment.

“The Armed Forces deeply regret what happened and assume full responsibility for the victim’s medical and psychosocial care, however, they call on the public to meticulously observe safety measures regarding respect for the highway code and the prioritisation of military vehicles,” the government document adds.

A family source confirmed that the young woman who was run over this morning by a military vehicle during protests in the centre of the Mozambican capital is in a serious condition.

The source said that the victim is under the care of health professionals at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the country’s largest hospital unit, which also confirmed that the young woman who was hit by the vehicle is under medical observation.

In a joint statement by the Embassy of Norway, the High Commission of Canada, the Embassy of Switzerland, the British High Commission and the Embassy of the United States of America; the Embassies strongly condemn the escalating violence against civilians in Mozambique.

“We strongly condemn the escalating violence against civilians during the post-electoral period in Mozambique. This has included an incident on November 27 in which an armoured military vehicle of the Mozambican security forces accelerated toward a gathering of people and brutally struck a person.” Read the statement.

The Embassies call on the government of Mozambique to uphold the role of security forces to protect the people of Mozambique and to investigate the incident and the other reports of disproportionate use of force in order to ensure accountability, in accordance with the law.

The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) said it was monitoring the case and promised to comment later.

The centre of the capital city has been in chaos, with dozens of demonstrators stoning police vehicles in streets that were completely blocked off after the military ran over a young woman while she was protesting in the centre of Eduardo Mondlane Avenue.

The running over of the young woman by an armoured military vehicle travelling at high speed, at around 9.30am local time, led to the anger of the demonstrators, who until then had only been cutting off traffic on practically all of Maputo’s central streets.

When any police vehicle passed by, including armoured vehicles, the demonstrators responded by throwing stones and sticks, at least on Eduardo Mondlane and Guerra Popular avenues, in the centre of the Mozambican capital.

Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane called on the Mozambican public to leave their cars in the streets from 8am for three days, starting today, with election protest posters until they return from work.

Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane has called these demonstrations, which have degenerated into clashes with the police – who have resorted to firing tear gas and shots to disperse them – as a way of contesting the award of victory to Daniel Chapo, the candidate supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power), with 70.67% of the vote, according to the results announced on 24 October by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), which have yet to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.